Pennsylvania Democrats turned on John Fetterman after a report said he skipped constituent meetings and other responsibilities. Conor Lamb, Brendan Boyle and Chris Deluzio all attacked him on X, and some Democrats in Pennsylvania are now calling for him to resign or be defeated in 2028.
The report described three paralyzed military veterans from rural Pennsylvania arriving at Fetterman’s Washington office for a planned meeting and finding him absent. It also said he told staff he was ill before later appearing in the office that day with no apparent symptoms.
Conor Lamb on X
Lamb, a former Pennsylvania congressman and former Senate primary rival, wrote, “If there is a decent bone left in your body, just quit,” and added, “It’s an insult to decent people in our state for you to treat them and the office this way.” His post pushed the criticism from private frustration into an open demand that Fetterman leave office.
Boyle was even blunter. On X Thursday, he wrote, “John Fetterman is a disgrace,” and, “Our state deserves better than a lazy trust fund baby who is too lazy to do the job.” Deluzio followed on X Friday with his own attack and a promise of action in 2028.
Chris Deluzio and 2028
Deluzio wrote, “There is a lot I could say about this report of John Fetterman’s pathetic behavior as a Senator.” He then said, “But between the laziness, disrespect, and willingness to carry water for a foreign government, it shows us something we already know: this man has no sense of duty.” He closed by writing, “He is not up for the high office he was elected to — and we in Pennsylvania will do something about it in 2028,”
The criticism landed because it came from within Fetterman’s own party in Pennsylvania, not from his opponents in the Senate. The report also said he was elected in 2022 with the backing of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, has frequently bucked his party on key votes, and met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida weeks after Trump won the 2024 presidential election. In another reported episode, he prepared to discuss Israel and the Iran war during a live TV hit on after the office visit described by the Journal.
Fetterman and Pennsylvania
One of the sharper details in the report was the account of his office telling staff he was ill and his later appearance that same day without apparent symptoms. The Journal also said he reportedly dismissed a meeting with officials from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to discuss Trump's looming cuts to Medicaid.
For readers in Pennsylvania, the immediate fallout is political rather than procedural: the public challenge is now coming from elected Democrats and former rivals, and the pressure is aimed at 2028 rather than at a formal vote right now. The unresolved question is how many meetings, hearings and votes were missed in total, since the report points to a broader pattern without giving a full count.
